CANINE GENETICS

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DOGS AND EGG GENETICS

Tam Cordingley, SAAB © TheDogPlace.org

Blue eggs!? Yes, poultry genetics may rival what dog breeders know about type, color and size because genetics can determine a lot more than color.

It only takes about 24 hours for an egg to form in the hen’s reproductive organs. The color is determined by the pigment that's deposited on the egg as it's developing. Actually, it’s almost like the color gets painted onto the shell just before the egg is laid.

From white to brown to speckled, it is what’s inside the shell that counts.

White and brown eggs are most popular but like breeding a Greyhound to run a quick quarter-mile or a bulldog to be heavy, solid and square, chicken farmers use genetic know-how to produce interesting egg colors, big-breasted “fryers” and fat stewing hens. If you feed “real food” to your dog, you know like all carnivores, he instinctively loves eggs.

Many people think brown eggs are healthier but there really is no nutritional difference between a brown or white egg or, as mentioned above, blue or green eggs. In dogs, horses and many other animals, color is usually very important but in eggs, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Just as a dog's breed can determine its color, the same thing is true in chickens only it gets a little bit wacky. If the hen has red ear lobes (yes, chickens have those), she will lay brown eggs. Hens with white earlobes almost always produce white eggs.

Ear carriage is important in most dog breeds but get this – some breeds of chickens have earlobes that are green or even blue and sure enough their eggs will be green or blue! If you live on a farm or you have access to duck eggs, they are also interesting.

Poultry breeders have really put their minds to genetics as regards how well chickens “lay” (produce), how big the eggs are and how attractive the eggs are to a buyer. Show dog breeders care more about breed type and function but the genetics are equally important.

If you are a dog breeder, you may be surprised that most poultry producers have studied genetics as much as we have. For example, because new is interesting, poultry producers, including duck breeders, may have poultry that produces all sorts of different colored eggs. They have even made it a point to develop eggs with a shell sturdy enough to withstand being shipped and tossed around in the process.

Just as dog breeders care about breed type and health, chicken farmers take great care to produce an egg which is “just right” as regards the shell. It needs to be strong but crack easily for the consumer. The eggs also need to look healthy and appetizing before you fry or boil it.

So much for eggs, except if your dog is listening… He or she will surely come when they hear you crack an egg. Indulge your dog or cat with eggs, raw or cooked, because when you stop and think about it, eggs are one of the oldest, most nutritious and most natural foods.

Now that you’re thinking about it, nature is a wondrous thing. Birds, fish and most mammals eat eggs. And egg farmers research size, health, and reproductive genetics as much as any other conscientious breeders. For the food on your table, riding pleasure, companionship and protection, genetics are important!

TheDogPlace.org EST 1998 © May 2024 https://www.thedogplace.org/Genetics/dogs-and-egg-genetics-t24C051.asp

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